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Paul Wong of Alameda is the creator of the Warriors "We... (Ray Chavez / Bay Area News Group)
First things first, Paul Wong did not drop his Warriors season tickets because of that loaded conference call for season-ticket holders last week, nor for the subsequent revelation that the team's public-relations staff was posting anonymous message-board comments in praise of management.
No, Friday on WarriorsWorld.net, Wong merely announced a decision he had made more than a month ago. It's just one more log on the fire of what many fans hope will be a full-scale revolt.
If the We Believe guy no longer believes, why should anyone?
"We've had worse teams than what we have on the floor now. It's not even the product anymore," Wong said. "Existing season-ticket holders, it's almost like we're labeled sucker because we're an automatic renewal."
You remember. In March 2007, with the Warriors all but eliminated from playoff contention, Wong began displaying a "We Believe" sign. The sign grew to placards, the placards grew to shirts, the team made the playoffs and sent the Bay Area into a frenzy with its upset of the Dallas Mavericks. Good times.
Wong says he barely broke even on We Believe, and the Warriors had no interest in teaming up for 2007-08. He also says, though, that the Warriors promised not to use the slogan but went ahead anyway. He asked for some reimbursement; failing that, he wanted a thank-you from team president Robert Rowell, who sat a few feet away from where Wong paid $5,800 for two season tickets.
No thank-you came. To top it off, Wong said, the Warriors told him he would be the fan of the night at the season finale in April 2008, then switched to another fan with no notice.
In a letter dated April 13, 2009, Wong wrote to Rowell about the "cold shoulder" he has received. Although a team representative confirmed to Wong that Rowell received the letter, there has been no further response.
"My legal counsel was like 'it's going to get ugly, and because it's going to get ugly, it's going to get expensive,' " Wong said, echoing a common refrain among those who do business with the Warriors.
Raymond Ridder, the team's executive director of public relations, declined to comment on Wong's defection and what it might say about fan sentiment in general. Ridder declined to comment Tuesday on most issues, in fact, after what has been a stormy week for him.
After that conference call, in which TV and KNBR apologist Bob Fitzgerald moderated with questions that seemed to jibe perfectly with some things Rowell wanted to get off his chest, Internet fans began to unload on management. A commenter named "Flunkster Dude" chimed in, saying, "I think we are all so mesmerized by what we read in the paper and take it as gospel. I actually enjoyed the call and appreciate their honesty, even if everything was not what we wanted to hear. I would like to hear from them more often. I have already renewed and are part of the 70 percent, so I will hope for the best from section 121."
WarriorsWorld administrators traced the IP address to Warriors headquarters. They contacted Mercury News columnist Tim Kawakami, who called Ridder, who said, "It was 100 percent me. And I'll take 100 percent responsibility if anybody thinks I did anything wrong."
Ridder said he has posted no more than 10 comments over the years, all positive. WW.net has traced dozens of comments, including some registered to the Flunkster Dude account, that are much more critical.
The Warriors - who always say they don't read what's written about them, even as the coach discusses hosting a radio show to counter the writings and now the P.R. director is trolling the boards - try to stay above it. They said on the conference call that the season-ticket renewal rate was 70 percent.
Believe at your discretion.
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